WineXpert Stupid mistake - need some advice!

Hi all - I write this very sheepishly because I really messed up... I have a nice LE South African Voignier Chenin Blanc Rousanne kit that I was unkind to. This is about my 10th kit, and I was in a hurry (mistake #1) a few months ago and was doing some maintenance tasks on several kits in one day. Do you know where this is heading? I didn't have good labels on my carboys (mistake #2 - FIXED now!) and thought I was working on a more-recently-started kit, and added the sorbate pack for that kit to this one (which already had been sorbated) (BIG mistake #3). Also the K-Meta pack. So - I have been in such a funk about this that I've put off trying to figure out what to do about it. I did splash rack this a few times to work on the extra K-Meta issue, but after doing some research on this site, it looks like my only recourse for the extra sorbate is to blend with another un-sorbated wine. So here is my question - I don't think I can get another box of this kit anymore. What would be an acceptable new kit to eventually blend this with, without degrading the quality of what I already have? I started this kit 6 months ago, and it is now bulk aging waiting for me to figure out what to do. Any suggestions for rehab (I assume by blending) would be very much appreciated! I plan on doing a few more splash rackings to dissipate the extra K-Meta (I added a 5 g packet instead of the 1.5 g I should have at its stage in life when I did this). Sigh...

Thanks...

Quite frankly, I don't think you messed up all that bad.

If you are worried about sorbate alone, I think it depends, because some people claim that sorbate adds some unpleasant taste if used excessively, while others don't really notice anything. Maybe I am missing something, but I wouldn't really see it as a huge problem.

Yes, you can blend your wine with another white wine (Sauvignon Blanc blends well with Viogner, for example) but make sure your other wine did not go through or going through malolactic fermentation (like in some Chardonnays), else you may spoil both of your wines irreparably in the onset of geranium smell/flavor. Though MLF is not too common in white wines (especially in kits), I thought it wouldn't hurt to mention this all the same, just in case.

As for excess K-meta, you can splash rack your wine 1-2 times and leave it at that. K-meta will diminish over time.

Regarding sorbate: Taste it. If it tastes good to you, don't worry about it.

Regarding k-meta: Don't worry about it. Not that much extra to worry about. It will dissipate over time.

BTW: I put labels on all my carboys for this reason.

Thanks for the encouragement. It has an underlying great taste, but some mildly off flavors. Honestly, I don't know if that's just the excess K-Meta, or if I'm just imagining things because I was so worried. I guess I'll taste it again in a couple more months and see how it goes.

I have a Mezza Luna white that I started a month ago, and a Vintner's Reserve Riesling that is 3 months in the carboy. Would either of those be potentially suitable to blend with this, if I sense a continued strange taste?

Thanks again. Keep the suggestions coming!

Gilbert34 said:

I have a Mezza Luna white that I started a month ago, and a Vintner's Reserve Riesling that is 3 months in the carboy. Would either of those be potentially suitable to blend with this, if I sense a continued strange taste?

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There are some time-tested blends, as I mentioned previously, but what's more important is to match the flavor to your own taste. The best place to start is to conduct several bench trials, by blending small quantities of two or more wines in various proportions and tasting them. You may discover that more than one combination would work together, or that none would. Ultimately, your decision will be based on some trial-and-error inspection.

Good luck.

Ok, Thank you! I will consider the Sauvignon Blanc suggestion, it wasn't on my "must make soon" list, but maybe I should bump it up there for this project. I guess I'll wait to see how it tastes in a few months.